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Mar 22

Beachbody On Demand Review 2020: a virtual workout that gets results – INSIDER

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Beachbody on Demand has a variety of 40 programs led by different instructors. Alicia Betz/Business Insider

Exercise has always been my me time but while I enjoy working out alone, it's hard to get motivated without some sort of guide or trainer. That's why I've sworn by the at-home workouts offered by Beachbody On Demand (BOD) for years.

I've used BOD at varying levels of fitness, from when I was in the best shape of my life and ready for whatever the daily routine threw at me, to when I was 41 weeks pregnant and even thinking about working out exhausted me. No matter where I've been in my fitness journey, there's been a Beachbody program to match it.

Though working out can often feel like a chore, I've found workout programs on BOD that make me look forward to breaking a sweat it's completely changed my mindset on exercise. It's no longer a chore but something that clears my mind and makes me feel energized.

BOD streams its workouts via its companion app or website I tend to use its AppleTV app. The cost varies based on the length of your subscription, ranging from $8.25/month to $13/month. Beachbody offers a free two-week trial to new sign-ups, too.

Once you're logged in, you can sort classes by specific fitness level, time, type, or trainer. Beachbody is home to popular workouts like Insanity, 21 Day Fix, PiYo, and P90X, as well as popular trainers like Shaun T, Tony Horton, Chalene Johnson, and Autumn Calabrese.

In addition to the workouts themselves, many of the programs also include the following:

Some programs also have a dedicated modifier track so you can see what the modifier is doing at all times. This helps provide alterations to the routines to make them easier for someone unfamiliar with the workout.

There are workouts for every fitness level, including some HIIT workouts designed to induce a heavy sweat. Alicia Betz/Business Insider

Before each workout begins, text on the screen informs you of the necessary equipment required to complete the routine. Every workout has a warm-up and a cool down, and a trainer walks you through each move from beginning to end. Since the trainers all structure their programs differently, they also explain what you can expect in their respective classes.

Someone always demonstrates modified moves, even in the easiest workouts, and the trainers often walk around the set, showing proper form and giving motivational messages.

I'm fairly coordinated and find the moves in all workouts easy to learn. Programs that have more difficult moves typically have short companion explainer videos to help you more easily get the hang of them. My husband is more of a run-for-workout kind of person, so he tends to struggle with the moves, yet he's still able to master them in short order.

One aspect that draws me to BOD is the wide range of difficulty in the classes offered there are workouts that are approachable and challenging for any fitness level. Some of the more difficult programs, such as Insanity Max :30 and P90X, leave me drenched in sweat, cursing the trainer, and barely able to move by the end.

Others are decidedly easier, like Country Heat, a dance-inspired workout set to country music that I did while I was in my third trimester. I felt ridiculous but it kept me moving at the end of my pregnancy, and I never would've done that program in a gym.

Some of my favorite classes have been the cardio-centric Transform :20, the pilates- and yoga-based PiYo, and Core de Force, a program focusing on mixed-martial-arts. I also enjoy the Three-Week Yoga Retreat when I'm stressed or need to take a break from more intense workouts.

Workouts vary in length from 20 to 90 minutes, with most falling into the 30- to 45-minute range. In total, over 40 different programs are available, and I've tried roughly 20 of them. There are only a few I wouldn't recommend, either because they weren't challenging enough or I didn't click with the trainer. When that happens, I just pick a different program and continue on there's no sneaking out of the class trying not to be noticed or wasting an hour in a class I don't enjoy.

The real-time workout programs keep daily exercise engaging. Alicia Betz/Business Insider

One of the reasons people have a hard time with at-home video workouts is because they get bored watching the same videos over and over. The jokes get stale, the moves are repetitive, and it's easy to lose interest quickly.

Some of Beachbody's older programs are set up this way but increasingly, the company is coming out with programs using what they call real-time. These videos are still pre-recorded but there's a separate video for every single day of the program. So, if you do the upper body workout in week one of a program, the video for upper body in week two is different.

Most of the workouts are designed to be completed at home, so they'll often require minimal to no equipment. The most common equipment requirements are free weights like dumbbells and a yoga mat.

Occasionally, workouts require a chin-up bar, resistance bands, slides, or a step. Though I don't own any of these, I've always found ways to modify the workouts that require them.

Many of Beachbody on Demand's workout programs don't even require extra equipment. Alicia Betz/Business Insider

If you're used to working out in a gym or fitness studio, working out at-home will certainly feel like a big adjustment. But just because the setting is different, doesn't mean you won't be able to find something similar to what you're used to and Beachbody helps bridge that gap. Many of its workouts are even taught in gyms, so the likelihood you find something familiar to you is high.

For me, it provides the kind of variety I crave for my own personal fitness, offering me intense workouts when I feel up to it and more casual routines when I'm not. And there's something for everyone. With a diverse library of programs, Beachbody On Demand is a worthy solution for anyone looking to spend more time working out at home.

Pros: Over 1,000 workouts available, additional materials available with each workout program, accessible to every fitness level, cheaper than most gym memberships, many programs don't require extra equipment

Cons: Not as personalized as some other streaming workout services

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Beachbody On Demand Review 2020: a virtual workout that gets results - INSIDER

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